With all the fuss and excitement, Leno rushed out, only to find himself lost in the backstreets of the town.

  The workshop was located in what could be described as the less-patrolled part of town, and a wimp, seemingly lost, caught the attention of the town's less charitable inhabitants.

  Lost and stressed, Leno didn't pay enough attention to his surroundings to notice his lurking assailants.

  As they approached their prey, one of them accidentally stepped on a shard of a broken bottle, deeply injuring his foot and letting out a yelp of pain.

  Startled by the sound, the other thief glanced over, realizing their target was now watching them—the element of surprise was gone.

  The wizard felt his muscles tense; he was in danger, and he could end up beaten to a pulp or worse. Most importantly, his magical focus would be taken from him. Without it, he wouldn’t be able to use magic at all until he recovered it or created another one, but this one was a gift from his friend; Leno didn’t know how to make a new one.

  Running was an option, of course, but he was at a disadvantage, not knowing where he was. If he reached a dead end after cutting a corner, that was literally the end of his road. Such a setback could take him months to recover from. Instead, he came up with an idea—one equally dangerous.

  He felt that this was the first test of his magical prowess, and swiftly, without thinking twice, he recited a few magical words while making several movements with his fingers behind his back.

  “Hey, friend! Long time no see! Don’t you remember me? I just got back into town, and I’m kinda lost. Would you help me get back to the main street?” Leno tried to mask the fear in his voice, unsure if the spell had any effect.

  The thief couldn’t quite remember where he knew Leno from, but he could see that their target was someone he cared about—perhaps a close friend?

  Meanwhile, the other thief was too busy trying to pull out the piece of glass lodged deep in his foot. After a short conversation with his partner and a look of distrust, he left the alleyway, limping on one leg.

  The charmed thief closed the distance and approached Leno, giving him a firm hug—the kind you give to your most trusted friends. For a moment, Leno almost believed that the scoundrel was an old childhood friend, charmed by the warmth of the hug.

  “Hey, sorry about all that! You know how it is, right? No hard feelings? Let's get out of here, what do you say? A few beers to catch up? Those are on me!” The thief was so enchanted by the spell that he genuinely felt ashamed about what had just happened.

  Inside, Leno panicked; the spell wouldn’t last long enough to keep him friendly. He needed a believable excuse.

  “No worries, it was just a misunderstanding, friend! I would love to have a pint, but you see, I have quite a busy day and not nearly enough time for that. You know what they say—the grind never stops! Maybe next time?”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Sure, sure, another time,” the thief replied, clearly disappointed. “Let me at least take you out of here.”

  A few minutes and another tight hug later, Leno found himself back on the main street, relieved that nothing dire had come to pass. Still, this was a warning: he shouldn’t be walking around so leisurely.

  Sometimes, he liked to think that people were good by nature, but time and time again, life showed him otherwise.

  The walk to the general store was quite long, as it was located near the gates of the town. The workshop, Leno learned from overheard conversations, was in an area called the District of Rats.

  The shop was well-stocked, and several townspeople were shopping in its spacious interior. The roof tiles were painted a verdant green, and the walls were white with oak beams supporting it all.

  Leno saw what looked like the owner of the place moving around the shop, supervising his clerks.

  The store was organized and well-maintained, so he didn’t have to search too hard to find what he needed.

  Leno approached the shopkeeper with his list of items written on a piece of paper as he walked around.

  “Quite the presentation, my good friend! Your handwriting is exquisite, and of course, the gesture of writing it all down is greatly appreciated,” the man said in a complacent tone.

  “I’ll have the boys prepare everything.” The shopkeeper clapped his hands, and one of the assistants appeared instantly, snatched the list, and began gathering the items.

  Even knowing that the sweet words were just part of the job, Leno felt pleased by the treatment and the shop's efficiency. He wanted to stay on the good side of the owner and establish a potential client relationship.

  “Thank you kindly, good sir. They call me Leno. Apparently, due to some rather unexpected turn of events, let’s just say I’ll be staying around here for a while. Do you know anyone in need of a scribe’s services?”

  “Hmm, I can’t say I do, sadly.” The merchant paused to think.

  “If it’s work you’re looking for, you could try Remulus; his shop is not far from here. He likes to deal with less mundane merchandise, trinkets, antiquities—you name it.”

  “I see,” Leno said, looking behind the counter as if searching for something. “Is there a map of the town I can buy somewhere? I got lost recently, and I’d like to avoid that experience again.”

  The shopkeeper knelt down and retrieved a finely rolled parchment of paper from under the counter. “And here it is! I’ll add it to the tab. If you don’t need anything else, your total comes to 25 Gold.”

  Leno paid the coins without haggling, even though he wished he could get a better price. It just wasn’t the right time.

  Returning with such a load proved challenging for the wizard's endurance, as he had to stop every two blocks to take a short rest. But he finally reached the workshop with all his belongings intact.

  Grabbing a crowbar from the sack and mustering all his strength, he unblocked the main entrance. He decided to keep the window covered until he figured out how to fit a new one.

  He tossed the sack inside, locked the door, and headed back to the main street, this time carrying the map and a dagger strapped to the back of his belt, hidden behind his cloak.

  It was already noon when he arrived at Remulus's shop. It was closer than the general store, situated at the border of the slums and the commercial district.

  The front was unremarkable— a small window partially covered with scarlet sheets, and a disorganized selection of trinkets. Yet the place had a certain magnetism that drew Leno inside without him even noticing.